Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 21-22.

As Paul was traveling towards Jerusalem, God revealed to him through various prophets that he would be arrested and imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem.  As I have read the passages concerning these warnings over the years I have wondered if God was telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem.  I have come to the conclusion that God was giving Paul a choice.  He could continue to Jerusalem, be arrested, and eventually face martyrdom.  Or, he could choose not to go to Jerusalem, continue to travel around, preaching the Gospel, and, perhaps, avoid martyrdom.  Paul chose the road to suffering on behalf of his faith.  Not all Believers have that choice, some of us will have to choose either faithfulness and suffering, or denying our faith (I have not, so far, been faced with that choice).  If you are one of those given that harder choice, I pray that you find inspiration and comfort from Paul’s example.  I want to note that while it appears that God gave Paul the choice to avoid the suffering awaiting him in Jerusalem, there had been previous occasions where the only choice Paul was given to avoid suffering was to deny his faith.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.